EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY is the focus of 3 new publications: > a report on Internet access in public schools > a webpage of federal resources for education technology > the May issue of a newsletter, "Community Update." Excerpts are below. LAST WEEK, SECRETARY PAIGE hailed the House of Representatives' 384-45 vote that passed H.R.1, a bipartisan bill that advances the four pillars of "No Child Left Behind," President Bush's education plan. "As a result of H.R.1," he said, "schools, districts, & states will have more flexibility & control; parents, teachers, schools, & states will have more information about student performance & what works in the classroom; parents & communities will be able to hold schools accountable for providing a quality education to every child; & children trapped in persistently failing schools will for the first time ever have more choices & more chances to succeed." The Secretary's full statement & details about H.R.1 are at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2001/05232001b.html http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press107/hr1ph52301.htm --------------------------------- Internet Access in Public Schools --------------------------------- "Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools: 1994-2000," released May 9 by the Department's National Center for Education Statistics, tells... * How much progress have public schools made in connecting to the Internet? * What is the ratio of students to instructional computers in public schools? * How are public schools connected to the Internet? * To what extent are public schools making the Internet available to students outside of regular school hours in 2000? * How are public schools preventing students from accessing inappropriate material on the Internet in 2000? http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001071 ------------------------------------------------ Federal Resources for Using Education Technology ------------------------------------------------ "Education Technology: Selected Federal Information & Resources" is a webpage of links organized around 5 questions: * What teaching & learning resources are available on the web from the federal government? * What support is available from the federal government that can help my school or family use technology for learning? * What information is available from the federal government that can help my school or family use technology for learning? * What information & resources does the federal government support in my region of the country that can help my school or family use education technology effectively? * Where can I find information and resources in my state can help my school or family use technology for learning? The webpage was developed as a companion to the May 15 Satellite Town Meeting (STM). http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/STMResources/index.html Archived webcasts of this month's STM, "Enhancing Education Through Technology: New Tools to Close the Achievement Gap" -- as well as previous STMs -- can be found at http://ali.apple.com/events/edgovseries/ The next STM is June 19. The topic is "Standards & Accountability." For details, please see http://registerevent.ed.gov/downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=140 To receive email updates about upcoming STMs, you can subscribe to STM-LIST (please see http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/stm-list.html). ---------------- Community Update ---------------- The May issue of "Community Update," a newsletter designed to help communities learn from each other as they improve their schools, features education technology. Excerpts are below. The full issue, back issues, & an online form for subscribing to this paper-based newsletter are at http://www.ed.gov/G2K/community/ NOTE: Community Update is produced by the Department's Office of Intergovernmental & Interagency Affairs (OIIA) & edited by Nicole Ashby (OIIA) with assistance from Julie Black (OIIA). ****************************************** Excerpts from "Community Update," May 2001 U.S. Department of Education (ED) ****************************************** ======================================== Parents Encouraging Information Literacy ======================================== With the increasing use of the Internet by students of all ages, the following tips adapted from the recommendations of Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) are useful to parents for teaching their children how to effectively use information from the web: Encourage & guide your children in exploring their interests. Point them to various resources -- such as printed materials, videos, & computers -- that they can use to find out about the things that interest them. Use "The Big Six" to help your children with their homework. Help them (1) determine what is expected from their homework assignments, (2) identify the necessary resources for the tasks, (3) locate the needed resources, (4) read or use the information, (5) apply the information to the tasks, & (6) evaluate the quality of their final product. Show your children how to evaluate information. Teach them to ask the following questions: Who or what is the authority? How current is the information? How might different people perceive this message? What is omitted? Teach your children about authors. Point out the authors of the books they read. Explain to them that they must acknowledge other people's ideas, & show them how to document their sources. Instruct your children to consider the reliability of information from the Internet. Explain to them that anyone can put information on the Internet. Teach them to look for the author's qualifications & sources. Ask them to consider whether the information on a web site is being used to sell a product. Discuss information literacy with your children's teachers. Ask them how they encourage information literacy & what you can do to help. For more information about teaching information literacy, visit http://www.accesseric.org/resources/parent/infoltrcy.html. To order print copies of the most recent titles, call 1-800-LET-ERIC (1-800-538-3742). ===================================== Tips for Technology Success By Bruce Whitehead, Missoula, Montana ===================================== I remember vividly my days as an elementary school principal trying to get my technology program off the ground. I also remember trying desperately to get reluctant staff members to accept & use networked computers in their classrooms, as well as find the dollars to fund the program. Through trial & error -- actually more error than trial -- I learned hard & fast lessons that I call "The Seven Golden Nuggets." These are tips I developed during planning & implementation of a program that helped my school, Hellgate Elementary in Missoula, Montana, become a National Blue Ribbon School & a national demonstration site for the effective use of classroom technology. The first lesson is that technology should not drive curriculum but just the opposite -- curriculum should drive technology. We work to make technology transparent & fit our existing curriculum, in which teachers use computers, LCD projectors, scanners, & other technology, much like they would an overhead or VCR. Second, I came to realize that the key to using technology successfully is the teacher. Only teachers can make technology happen effectively in the classroom. Third, I find that money follows success. Our district makes technology a major funding priority & has technology as a line item in our budget, which represents at least 5 percent of the general fund. This provides a stable source of revenue for technology each year & helps to ensure success. Fourth, I decided to put at least five high-speed networked computers with a printer in each classroom, & more if necessary to achieve a student-computer ratio of 5-to-1. This enhances a cooperative learning environment for each classroom, where students & teachers have access to computers & the Internet all day. Fifth, I formulate strategies on how to reach the "reluctants" -- those teachers having difficulty fully integrating technology into their classrooms. I now use a mentor program, whereby I pair a teacher having difficulty in using technology with a master technology teacher. I send both, as a team, to conferences & schedule their prep periods together in order for them to practice computer applications. I believe in providing staff development via "teachers teaching teachers" & in using a combination of student early outs, rotation of substitute teachers, & extended teacher contracts to build in time for professional development. Sixth, I find that it is easy to measure & evaluate success with technology by monitoring the amount & quality of student writing; enhancement of cooperative learning; awareness of student learning styles; application of student technical tutoring; & the level of e-mail communication among teachers, parents & administrators. Finally, I have found that an effective public relations program develops community awareness. When parents & community leaders understand why classroom technology is so important to the future of their children, they are more willing to support it. If these golden nuggets can work for a rural school in Montana like ours, they can work for just about any school across the country. Note: Bruce Whitehead is the principal of Hellgate Intermediate School & an associate professor at the University of Montana. He designed & implemented a model for classroom technology centers that earned him the National Distinguished Principals Award from the National Association of Elementary School Principals. =========================================================== To subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) EDInfo, address an email message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Then write either SUBSCRIBE EDINFO YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME in the message, or write UNSUBSCRIBE EDINFO (if you have a signature block, please turn it off) Then send it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Past EDInfo messages: http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/EDInfo/ Search: http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/EDInfo/search.html Past ED Initiatives: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EDInitiatives/ =========================================================== John McGrath, Nicole Ashby, Lindsey Kozberg, Peter Kickbush, & Kirk Winters U.S. Department of Education [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This is the ISTA-talk mailing list. 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